Second Chance
by Yuka-san
Summary: Eragon thought Murtagh was dead. But was he really dead? What would Eragon do when he found out that his brother was alive, but broken... Post Inheritance cycle. Slash. EraMur.
1. Chapter 1

My first Eragon fic. I don't even read Eragon and I make the fic ?! O.o And it's a slash fic. Lol.

Eragon © Christopher Paolini

Summary: Eragon thought Murtagh was dead. But was he really dead? What would Eragon do when he found out that his brother was alive, but broken... Post Inheritance cycle. Slash. EraMur.

Warning: Slash, weird pairing, me being cruel. --;

When I said EraMur, I really really meant Eragon/Murtagh. Eragon as the seme, Murtagh as the uke. You don't need to tell me, I know I'm weird. --;

Sorry for the bad grammar.

This fic is rated R for safety, although there's nothing dangerous in the first chapter. (Nothing dangerous in MY opinion. )

So, if you're not into slash, I strongly suggest you to click the back button.

Second Chance

Chapter 1

The Empire had been defeated. King Galbatorix was dead. All people were cheering. Prisoners were set free. Happy tears were spilled as family once again reunited.

Eragon smiled a fake smile as some prisoners and his family thanked him for defeating Galbatorix. While he should be the happiest person for being called the greatest man in Alagaesia now, he could feel nothing but pain and regret. He couldn't help not to feel jealous as he saw those people finally could be together again with their family. And him? His only remaining family had gone, sacrificed for their freedom.

It had been four years since a messenger brought him a gift from an anonymous sender. He and his friends were so surprised when they found out that it was the last dragon egg. He was in a state of euphoria, especially when the egg hatched for his cousin. However, few days after that, another messenger brought him a news that the king had the red rider executed for defying him. At first, he didn't believe the king dared to execute his own rider. Not until he saw it with his own eyes.

Flashback

Murtagh's head was displayed in the town square. His face was covered with bruises and scars as a proof of the torture he had gone through.

"No! It can't be him! It can't be him!!!" Eragon cried as he struggled to free himself from Roran's grasp.

"Stop it, cousin! They might recognize us!" Roran hissed as he dragged Eragon away from the crowd which surrounding that horrible display.

After they had finally left the crowd, Roran let go off his cousin. But...

"It can't be him… It can't be… I will go back and save him no matter what!"

"Eragon! Don't be foolish! He is dead!" Roran said sadly.

"NO! The last time, we also thought he was! But he wasn't! I won't make the same mistake!"

"You saw it with your own eyes!"

"No…" Eragon fell to his knees and cried.

"Accept it Eragon… At least he died as a hero…"

End Flashback

A hero? No… Murtagh died as the biggest traitor in Alagaesia. First he betrayed the Varden and after that he betrayed Galbatorix to take his throne. That's what everybody knew. No one knew that he was the one who stole the egg and gave it to the Varden. Galbatorix kept that as a secret so that Murtagh would forever be the shadow of Morzan. And he, Eragon, couldn't reveal the truth by risking his identity as the son of Morzan to be discovered. Even if he had done so, no one would have believed him.

It was all his fault… He was the main reason of his brother's suffering, even when he was still in his mother's womb. If it hadn't been for him, Murtagh wouldn't have had to lose his mother, left alone with his abusive father and Galbatorix who ruined his childhood. If it hadn't been for him, he wouldn't have had to lose his freedom. He wouldn't go to the Varden and imprisoned. More importantly he wouldn't be captured by Galbatorix and unwillingly became his slave.

Guilty overwhelmed him as he remembered what he said to him the last time they met,

"_I don't have a scar on my back anymore"_

He had never thought those cruel words would be the last thing he said to his brother. He still hurt him even after he had risked himself being punished for him. He even asked him to die and swore that he would kill him. Now, he really had died for him and he regretted everything. But it's too late…

_It's too late to say sorry…_

He always thought that Murtagh had betrayed him. But now he realized how wrong he had been. Murtagh had never betrayed him, at least not willingly. He stayed loyal to him until the end. He was the one who had betrayed Murtagh.

He left his thought when someone patted his shoulder. It was his cousin, Roran. It seemed he realized the gloomy aura that surrounded Eragon.

"Are you okay?"

Eragon nodded, his expression still hadn't changed.

"We have freed all prisoners. Let's go back."

"….."

"He has been free, too."

Eragon smiled sadly, "I know." He paused for a while and then talked again "Just go first, Roran. I think I want to look around this place a bit more."

"Are you sure?" Honestly, Roran didn't really like the idea of leaving Eragon alone in the place where his brother had been tortured to death.

Eragon nodded

"_Don't worry, Roran. He will be alright." _Saphira suddenly talked _"Eragon, take as much time as you want. I'll wait for you here."_

"Thanks, Saphira…"

"I'll go then" Roran said as he took his leave.

* * *

Eragon could hardly understand himself why he chose to stay. Looking around the dungeon only made him feel worse. It was dark, very dark. If he hadn't brought a torch with him, he could have hardly seen anything. The coldness and the stale air made him hard to breathe. The condition alone was enough to make the prisoners lose their hope. Not to mention the torture. 

He checked every cell even though everyone had made sure that no one's left before. Of course they were all empty, but he still checked them one by one. Finally he arrived at the deepest part of the dungeon. Behind the door in front of him must have been the torture chamber. There were two torture chambers in that dungeon. The first one was for ordinary crime and the second was Galbatorix' private torture chamber which was located in the deepest part of the dungeon and was used only in "special occasion".

When he opened the door, the first sight which welcomed him was his brother hanged in chains. His body was covered with wounds. Eragon quickly rushed to his side, but he found no one aside of himself.

He laughed bitterly at that. What did he expect? His brother had died four years ago. Four years… Yet still not enough to erase his regret. His haunted face appeared in his dream every time he slept. Every night, he watched him being tortured mercilessly by the king.

Those nightmares were horrible, but they were nothing compared to the reality. This torture chamber was so much worse than the one in his dream. Blood was everywhere, most had already dried. The smell stung his nose, unlike in his dream where he smelled nothing of this. And what scared him the most was the various torture instruments which had never appeared in his dream. Eragon had no idea at all how to use them. He imagined what kind of pain they could have caused as he stared at some rusty metal instruments on the table.

He remembered what Galbatorix told him.

"_He knows them all Eragon… He knows every single instrument I have in my torture chamber. I have tried all of them on him"_

Eragon overthrew the table angrily. The instruments fell to the dirty floor, producing some loud noises. Eragon punched the wall repeatedly until his hand bleed. He wished he could turn back the time. He had forced his brother to walk the path of destruction while he actually had had so many chances to save him. Now, he cried for one more chance, but he knew it's too late.

Suddenly the wall in front of him moved, revealing a dark passageway. Eragon was surprised to find a secret passage there although it wasn't really surprising for Galbatorix to have something like that in his dungeon. Eragon entered the passageway, and examined his surrounding.

There were few cells there. The conditions were so much worse then the part of the dungeon he saw earlier. It was much darker, colder and the smell… He could hardly stand it. The smells of blood, rotten corpse, and shit mixed together. Eragon nearly jumped when he examined a cell and found a skeleton inside of it. He shuddered. It couldn't be his brother, could it?

The thought was quickly wiped out when he heard chains rattling from one of the cells.

_Perhaps it's just a rat._ He told himself. Nevertheless, he moved to check it.

He stared in horror as he found someone inside the cell in the very corner.

"Don't worry! I will get you out of there!" he said

_Damn! I don't have the key!_

"Do you know where the key is?" Eragon asked.

The prisoner didn't react at all. He just continued to sit there with his head tilted forward that his long matted hair covered his face.

"I guess no…"

Eragon used his sword to destroy the padlock and then he entered. The prisoner still didn't give any reaction. He looked like he had been dead, but his chest was moving up and down from breathing.

_He is alive, but he is no better than dead. _Eragon thought.

"Let's go out" he offered his hand to help the prisoner to stand up, but the prisoner turned himself away from Eragon. He just wrapped a rag, which seemed to be his blanket, around his body tighter.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he touched his face.

When Eragon's finger made a contact with his skin, the prisoner screamed hysterically. As he tried to kicked and punched Eragon, the rag fell from his body, revealing his naked skeletal body which was covered with scars and bruises.

Eragon pulled his hand back. The prisoner quickly retreated to the corner of his tiny little cell, trying to get as far as he could from Eragon. He curled his naked form there, his hand on his head as if trying to protect it.

_God, what have they done to him?_

To be completely naked in a place as cold as that only with a dirty old rag that could barely protect him from the cold, did they even consider this man as a human?! To be naked and shackled, only animals deserved that kind of treatment!

_Even an animal doesn't deserve to be starved and beaten like this._

Suddenly Eragon caught a glimpse at a familiar scar on the prisoner's back which was half hidden by his long hair. It looked similar with the one on Murtagh's back.

_It can't be!_

"Murtagh…?"

The prisoner suddenly looked tense. He miserably tried to avoid Eragon even further.

"It's you, isn't it?!"

Eragon grabbed his hand. Again, the prisoner screamed as he tried to get away from Eragon.

"It's me, Eragon! Don't you recognize me?!"

"No…" he moaned softly. That was indeed murtagh's voice.

"Look at me! It's your brother… Eragon… I won't hurt you…" Eragon said as he brought Murtagh's face to face his own.

"No… don't…" Murtagh muttered although he didn't give much resistance.

Eragon was utterly shock when he saw his brother's face. The Empire symbol had been branded on his left cheek which meant he was the king's possession. Eragon had seen some of Galbatorix' slaves have it on their body. But to be branded on the face was a total humiliation. Had that thing happened to him, he would have never wanted show his face to anyone ever again.

Murtagh turned his face away from Eragon in shame. Eragon didn't know what to say to comfort his brother. All he could do was to hold him in his arm.

"No…" Murtagh whimpered, "I'm dirty, Eragon…"

"It doesn't matter" He hugged him even tighter.

His body was covered with grim and smelled totally like a shit. It looked like he hadn't had a bath for weeks. Or perhaps months? But it mattered not. For him, Murtagh was like a jewel. A jewel is a jewel that it won't lose its value just because it is covered by mud.

"You don't understand… Just leave me."

Leaving him in such a miserable place? Eragon had never been in a place worse than his brother's cell. Just to think that someone lived there had made him sick. And that unfortunate someone was his brother, and he had been there for years… And now he asked him to leave him there? Only with a dirty old rag as his only possession?! How could he think that he would be able to do that?

"Let's leave together, brother."

"I can't…"

"Why?"

"I have no other place to go in this world…"

Eragon was silenced. Murtagh might have been right. People thought that he was a traitor. But Eragon knew he wasn't. And he didn't deserve to be abandoned in a place such as that. That place was not for human to live in.

It was way too dark and cold and dank._ Not to mention the sanitation is really bad. _Eragon thought bitterly as he stared at the shit bucket in the corner. The content had overflowed to the grimy floor.

_Even if he wanted to stay away from the rest of the world, it would definitely not here._

_Or at least not alone…_

Murtagh was startled when his brother suddenly sat beside him.

"Wh…what are you doing?!" he asked

"If you choose to stay here, I will stay here as well."

"Why?"

"I can't live without you, Murtagh."

Murtagh turned his back away to Eragon. He brought his arm around his leg and buried his face on his knees. He sobbed quietly. That was the first time in his life Eragon saw his brother crying.

* * *

I leave so many questions unanswered, I guess. 

Where was Thorn? O.o

What was the name of Roran's dragon?

And etc.

If you want to find out, click the review button

But, hey! I can't even answer them myself!

Please help me to answer. Stupid me!!

Anyway, I'm happy to see more and more Eragon slash here! This place really needs more Eragon slash fic!!!


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to Amethyst DragonRider for beta reading this.

Also thanks to Amethyst DragonRider, Joralie, lozvamp, Silver-Serval for the reviews.

Eragon © Christopher Paolini

Warning: Slash, uke Murtagh, me being cruel. --;

Second Chance

Chapter2

"_Why did you shut yourself from me?"_ Saphira asked with an annoyed tone through their mental link.

"I'm sorry…"

Saphira eyes suddenly caught the sight of the sleeping figure wrapped in a dirty blanket in Eragon's arms. Earlier in the dungeon, Eragon had decided to put Murtagh into a deep sleep by using magic. He didn't want to fight his brother who kept insisting to stay, while Eragon would not let him.

"_I… I thought we have made sure that we have freed everyone…"_

"Apparently, we missed this one."

Eragon moved closer toward Saphira so that she could see the person.

"_Is that Murtagh?!"_

Eragon nodded.

"_But how?"_

"I don't understand that myself."

"_He looks terrible…"_

Eragon stared at his brother's face. Just now he could see it clearly. He couldn't help but felt pity for his brother. He looked sickly pale and malnourished. Bruises littered his face. And the Empire symbol… Eragon gritted his teeth.

_How could they?_

"I think we need to find an inn and get his wounds treated before we get back."

"_I agree…"_

* * *

Eragon stared at Murtagh's body, which was laid on the bed. He hesitantly pulled the rag that wrapped his brother, slightly afraid of what he might see. 

His eyes widened in horror at what came to his eyes. Bruises, cuts, scars, welts, and burns covered his brother's body. Some were old, some were still fresh. Although he had prepared himself to see those kinds of things on Murtagh as he had vaguely seen in the dungeon, it still shocked him. He couldn't prevent tears from flowing out of his eyes.

Nearly every part of Murtagh's skin was bluish purple from bruises. Eragon carefully touched his ribcage and felt several broken ribs. Some had healed themselves in a way they shouldn't have. If he wished to fix them, he would have to break them once again. As he cast the spell, a loud crack was heard. Eragon bit his lower lip. He then broke another one. Fortunately for Murtagh, he was asleep, so he felt no pain. But what about last time, when they were being broken by Galbatorix?

"Weise Heil." He said, and the broken ribs healed.

Eragon then examined Murtagh's arms. One was bent at an odd angle. His shoulders were also dislocated. He continued with checking the lower part of Murtagh's body. His kneecaps were black, and Eragon was quite sure the skin hid severe bone fractures. And his right shin jutted out of his torn skin. What wrenched his heart the most was when he saw some minor burn on his brother's manhood.

_Even his most 'sacred' part was being violated. _Eragon thought bitterly.

He lifted Murtagh's body to see his back. Once again, horror struck him. Earlier, he only paid attention to his scar, which was given by Morzan. But now he saw how messed up his brother's back was. White scars crisscrossed his whole back. There were some newly healed wounds, and some which were still very fresh. In one he could even see the white bone slightly protruding from the wound. From the looks of it, they hadn't only used an ordinary whip on him, but also the one with sharp objects at its tips that could rip the flesh when it was being pulled back. And how the scar from Morzan was still so prominent on his back while it should have disappeared under the hundred whip marks, Eragon could only find one answer for that.

_They had it reopened._ Eragon clenched his fist until it turned white.

In addition to the whip marks, there were also bruises and burns on his back. And some strange things stuck to it here and there. Eragon frowned a bit. They looked like drops of candle wax.

He laid Murtagh back on the bed and went to get some warm water and a small towel. He then started to clean Murtagh's body. In a short time the white towel turned brown. Eragon cursed. How had he not died from infections?!

_Of course it's magic…_ he thought bitterly.

After he had finished cleaning Murtagh or at least, he was clean enough before he could take a bath, he healed his wounds. It took a lot of energy from Eragon. Even though he had grown much stronger now, he still couldn't heal of all his wounds. Murtagh needed a powerful healer to take care of him. But he was afraid that they might have still recognized the red rider. They still misunderstood him. In addition, he had that Empire symbol on his cheek. Even if he wasn't the red rider, a lot of people hated Galbatorix's slaves in general.

They were being hated because of their choice to become slaves which, in Eragon's opinion, wasn't really a choice. Servitude or death. He couldn't blame those people for their fear of death. Most of them were just weak villagers whose villages had been destroyed. And for his brother, he didn't even have a choice in that matter. Eragon was certain, if he had ever had a choice, he would have chosen death. Murtagh knew better than anyone else that death was much more preferable than to live in Galbatorix's hand.

Eragon had heard from Nasuada that many of the Empire's slaves ran away and sought the protection of the Varden. However, when they got to the Varden, what they received was imprisonment. The first reason was indeed for protection, because people hated them. The second reason was to prevent a spy, although they could cause no harm. Sometimes, they were forced to become a 'slave' to the Varden. Given a job that was wanted by no one without a suitable payment. Even the leader of the Varden couldn't do much about this. Eragon wasn't sure if the condition would change after the war. It seemed being a slave for Galbatorix meant being a slave for eternity.

He stroked the symbol on his brother's face gently. Even with that disgusting thing on his face, Murtagh still looked beautiful. Even though his face was sickly pale and blue with bruises, even though he looked so thin and malnourished, he looked beautiful. Eragon thought he was even more beautiful than when the first time they met. He took a few strands of his hair, it had grown very long. Perhaps that was the thing that had made him look more beautiful, even though it was currently dirty and matted.

He had always loved his brother. But he didn't realize it, not until his brother's 'death'. Before, he had always thought he loved Arya. When he thought Murtagh betray him, he felt so disappointed. He hated him, yet never stopped loving him. After he lost Murtagh, his world seemed to shatter. That time he realized how important he was to him.

Now he had his second chance, Eragon swore he would never let Murtagh leave him again. He would put Murtagh above everything in his life.

* * *

Much shorter than the last one 

Actually, I found so many flaws with this fic. I don't want to tell you, though... ;;

Thanks for reading! Hope you will review! It will encourage me to work better...and faster!


	3. Chapter 3

I apologize for the late update!! I'm busy with my homework!! Here I give you more Murtagh!

Again, thanks to Amethyst DragonRider for beta reading this story.

Also thanks to Amethyst DragonRider, hogo-chan, lozvamp, flyingxdragonx123, Hot4Garrett, DarkTiger1991 for the reviews!

Eragon © Christopher Paolini

Warning: Slash, uke Murtagh, bondage, humiliation

Second Chance

Chapter 3

_You are mine, Murtagh! –Mine!_

Murtagh screamed as he woke up from his nightmare. Eragon, who was sleeping on a chair next to his bed, was woken up. He was in a panic state when he found his brother crying hysterically.

"Murtagh! It's okay, it was just a dream."

Eragon shook his body to get him out of his nightmare. However, it only made Murtagh become even more hysterical. He got up from his bed and tried to scurry away from Eragon, but apparently his legs were not yet strong enough to hold him up. A loud 'thump' was heard as he fell onto the floor. He then miserably crawled to the corner of the room and curled himself up there.

"Murtagh…What's wrong?" Eragon approached him.

"No… NO!!" he cried.

"Murtagh…"

Suddenly someone knocked at the door. Eragon left his brother for a moment to open it.

"Are you crazy, screaming in the middle of the night?!" Several angry men screamed at him. It looked like they didn't recognize him as the Rider.

"I… I'm sorry…" Eragon apologized.

"If that happens again, I will kick you out." The inn keeper said angrily.

"Sorry…" Eragon bowed apologetically.

After everyone had left, he closed the door. Eragon found Murtagh still hiding himself in the corner. Why was it that every time he tried to touch his brother, he would scream like that? It seemed like he was afraid of human contact. Eragon sighed. This was much worse than what happened to Arya. Much, much worse… What exactly did Galbatorix do to him?

* * *

Murtagh opened his eyes as sunlight came through the window. That was the first time, after who knew how long, he finally saw the sunlight again. He looked at his surrounding. The first thing that came across his mind was _'Where am I?'_. He only remembered that Eragon found him in the dungeon, and then… For a moment, he couldn't remember what had happened next. Suddenly, it came to him.

_And then Galbatorix came…_

"No…" he moaned softly as he brought his hands to his head.

_It must be a dream… Eragon has saved you…Look! He healed your wounds and bandaged them._

But another part of him told him differently.

_It wasn't a dream… You ARE currently dreaming! There is no way Eragon would save you. He thinks you are dead! They healed you to prepare you for the next torture!_

Somehow, the second voice made more sense to him. Rather than being delusional, he better prepared himself for Galbatorix's next game. Every time he brought him to a well lit room, something really, really bad would happen. And now, he let him be exposed to sunlight. Who knew what would happen next? Or, was he dreaming? He would soon get up and find himself in his cell. Which one was a dream? Which one was reality? He couldn't tell…

"Murtagh?" a voice called his name.

"Please… Not again…" he sobbed.

"It's okay… You are saved… Look, I bring you some food."

"No… Please… just leave me…"

He would rather be left alone in the darkness of his cell without food than in a well lit room where they would take an advantage of his hunger to humiliate and torture him.

"I understand… I will leave the food here. You can eat whenever you want. If you need something, I'll be outside."

Then he was left alone again…

After a while, he lifted up his head and saw a tray of food beside him. There were a loaf of bread, a bowl of soup, and a glass of milk on it, and they looked good. He quickly grabbed the bread and finished it in the blink of an eye. He then continued with the soup. He drank it without even bother to use the spoon that was provided. He didn't even chew the meat in it. All he wanted to do was finish them as soon as possible. Who knew, maybe whoever brought this for him would change his mind, and take everything away from him. Then he drank the milk. After that, he took the bowl again and licked it clean. He was so hungry… He had no idea when the last time he ate something, or even what he ate. But he remembered how he ate… And he remembered clearly the first time he ate that way…

Flashback

"Hungry, boy?"

The king smiled evilly at his slave as he saw him, lying with his hands tied behind his back. He had just finished his dinner, and there were still a lot of leftovers on the table.

The slave was practically drooling at that sight. He was so starving; he could have eaten a horse.

The king took some more food to his plate and poured some juice on it then he mixed them together. He spat on it several times and put it in front of his slave's face. It looked disgusting.

"Eat." he ordered.

His hands were tied. How could he expect him to eat?

"I…can't…" he said.

"You can't? Or you don't want to?"

The slave was silenced.

"You will regret your decision, boy."

The king took the plate away from him and left. Some Urgals took the slave back to the dungeon.

As the king had said, he soon regretted that he didn't just eat it. Every time the king ate, he made the slave watch him. There was a lot of food on the table, but the slave couldn't even get a morsel.

It continued for a few days. Until one day…

"Are you hungry?" the king asked, even though he'd already known the answer.

The slave nodded.

"Then beg, slave."

"Can I have something?"

A kick suddenly landed on his face.

"You should remember your status! I told you to beg, not ask! You are just a slave! You are in no position to ask me something!" the king said angrily. "Now, beg!"

"Please…"

"I don't understand what you're talking about."

"Please, I'm hungry!" he screamed in frustration.

Another kick landed on his face.

"Is that the way you beg someone?"

"Please…, let me eat…"

"With whom do you think you speak with, slave?!"

"…my master……" the slave answered in a low voice.

"And what are you?"

"A slave……" he said in defeat.

"Now, I want you to repeat them in a sentence."

He really hated to say that. He really hated to say that! But he needed some food. The hunger was killing him!

"Master… Please, let your slave eat…"

The king laughed with satisfaction. He gave a sign to his Urgal guard and the creature left. After a moment, the Urgal was back with a plate of food and put it in front the slave's face.

The slave stared in horror as he realized that it was the same plate from few days ago, with the same food. Only it looked and smelled less pleasant than the last time with some small moving things in it.

"What's wrong? Aren't you hungry?" the king smirked evilly.

Finally, he moved his mouth over to the plate. He could only pray that it wouldn't taste too bad. But, unfortunately for him, it tasted horrible. He tried to not chew it, so he wouldn't need to taste it, but it was still too disgusting for him. He could never describe the taste. That was the worst thing he had ever had in his mouth. He vomited what he had just swallowed. Had he had something else in his stomach, he would have thrown them all up. But he had nothing else.

"Eat!"

He just stared at the 'food', which had become more disgusting after he vomited on it. He couldn't stand it anymore…

"Eat! Or you will never get anything to eat again!"

He forced himself to swallow more. But after he had finished half of it, he vomited again.

He looked at his master, hoping for mercy. The 'food' smeared on his face, making him look utterly miserable.

But the king had no pity for him, "Clean your food, slave!"

As his heart sank, he continued to eat.

Just when he nearly finished his food, he felt he wanted to puke again. Suddenly, the king's hand covered his mouth.

"Swallow it."

His mouth was full with the so called food, his throat was burning, and he could taste his bile. He really wanted to get that thing out of his mouth. But he didn't want to be punished any further for that. Tears flew down his cheeks as he tried hard to swallow it again.

Finally, the king let him go, leaving him panted heavily on the floor. He was, once again, dragged back to his cell.'

End Flashback

Later, an Urgal guard brought him extravagant food. But he was no longer in mood to eat something. Like he hadn't had enough pain, he still had to suffer a bloody diarrhea for eating bad food. For a few days, he hadn't had strength to move his body, so the king needed to order the Urgal guards to force feed him, in order to keep him alive. And that was surely wasn't a good thing.

Even after all of that, it still wasn't the worse thing he had ever eaten. The king had made him eat some other things much worse than that. It happened several times. And now, he could almost say that he had been well trained for it.

After countless torture and humiliation, it's hard to believe that he survived. He wasn't sure whether it was the power of the ancient language, or his own will. He only knew one thing: if it was possible to keep his promise to _him_, no matter what kind of hell he would have to go through...

He would endure.

* * *

I can't promise you that I will update this soon, but I promise I will update! Someday… --;;

I must start to work on my university project. Even without those homework and project, I'm still a slow writer!! TT

I hope you can review and encourage me to work faster. I expect more reviews for this chapter, though it's rather disgusting --;;


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry to keep you waiting!! I haven't forgotten my promise! No matter what, I'll upload chapter 4. But I didn't promise when, didn't I? Hehe...

Life has been quite crazy for me lately and I'm in no mood to do my fic. I've just finished my final exam last week.

Again, thanks to Amethyst DragonRider for beta reading this story.

Also thanks to Hot4Garrett, Last Generation Lintu, Joralie, Akuma Memento Mori, Dragonally, LucreNoin, Aniset for the reviews!

Eragon © Christopher Paolini

Warning: Slash, uke Murtagh, umh... rape...

Second Chance

Chapter 4

Eragon felt as if his heart had been pierced by thousand knifes when he secretly watched his brother eat like a starving animal.

_How long he hadn't eaten anything?_

The Great Shadeslayer… How could he deserve such title when he couldn't even protect his brother? His own flesh and blood?

Emotion overflowed within him. He rushed into the room again and stopped right in front of Murtagh. His brother seemed startled, but he didn't scream again this time. Eragon hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

However, Murtagh pushed him away. His heart completely sank.

* * *

"Murtagh…" his brother stared at him with disbelief.

"I…I'm sorry… I didn't mean to…"

Why? Why did he push his brother away? Wasn't that the thing he always wanted from him?

"It's okay…" Eragon smiled. Murtagh could sense there was a hint of sadness in his voice.

"I'm just not use to it…"

"Hm?" Eragon frown in confusion.

"No, it's nothing…"

Ever since his imprisonment, Galbatorix had deprived him from all human touch except from the king himself. All guards who were in charge of him were urgals. Galbatorix was the one and only human in that period of his life. And his touch…always brought nothing but pain…

He shuddered at the thought.

"Murtagh?"

He quickly retreated from his thought.

"Are you okay?"

Murtagh nodded.

"Eragon…"

"Yes?"

"Could you…do it again?"

"Of course!"

Eragon circled his arms around his body. Murtagh rested his head on Eragon's chest. It was really nice to have someone hug you like that. After a long time in hell, this was the first time he felt safe. This was the first time a touch didn't bring him pain.

"I'm not dreaming, am I?" Murtagh asked.

_Even if this is just a dream, please tell me it is not!_

"No, you are not."

Perhaps he would wake up in a few minutes and faced another torture. But for now, he just wanted to stay that way. He didn't care if it was a dream. He could only wish that he wouldn't have to wake up.

Eragon stroked his hair gently as he whispered comfort to his ear. Murtagh closed his eyes and enjoyed every single moment of it. He always wished someone would spoil him like this.

"Forget about everything, okay? You are safe now… After you have healed, we will go back to the Varden and clean your name. After you have been free from your charge, we can find Thorn." Eragon said

The Varden?

"NO!" he pulled his body away from his brother angrily.

How could Eragon think that the Varden would accept him? They would never!

"Murtagh, we need to get your name cl…" Eragon could never finish his sentence.

"I said NO! I don't care about my name! I won't go there!"

"Okay…okay… I understand… I guess we will just find your dragon…" Eragon tried to calm him.

Murtagh were silenced. Suddenly, tears flew down from his eyes.

"Murtagh? What's wrong?" Eragon brought his hand to wipe the tears away.

"… Thorn…is dead…"

Eragon was speechless for a moment. He couldn't believe what he had just heard from his brother. Most of dragon riders couldn't stand living without their dragons. It was too much for them. But his brother had lived through it and he still had yet to endure years of imprisonment and torture.

"I'm sorry…" Eragon apologized, "I shouldn't remind you of that horrible thing."

Murtagh shook his head. Even though Eragon said nothing about it, he would always remember. He would never forget what happened back then. He would never…

* * *

Flashback

"How dare you escape with my egg!"

Galbatorix punched his face. The two urgals who were holding him dropped him to the floor. Galbatorix grabbed his hair and hauled him up.

"You tell me where the egg is, and I'll save you some of the pain."

"I don't know…"

Murtagh bit his lower lip as he felt Galbatorix attack his mind. When he couldn't break through the boy's barrier, he doubled his force. Murtagh screamed in pain as Galbatorix broke through his mind. Finally, Galbatorix decided to pull himself out of Murtagh's mind.

Galbatorix released his hair, "You…you erased your own memory?!"

Murtagh had known that there was no chance he could protect his mind against the king's mental assault. So, he decided to erase the information from his mind. Erasing one memory was a high level magic and the price was not cheap. In order to do it, he must allow himself to lose his most precious memory.

"I must say I was impressed. First, you broke oaths in ancient language and escape. Now you erase your own memory… Where did you learn all of this, boy?"

Murtagh didn't answer.

"Answer Me!"

"My goddamn father!"

A kick landed on his stomach, "Don't joke with me, boy!"

Murtagh shook his head, "I'm not. I learned them from his secret note."

He smirked evilly, "Perhaps, he had been planning to betray you and take the throne for himself. After all, he was the traitor, Morzan."

"YOU ARE LYING!! Morzan would never betray me! He would never!" Galbatorix screamed.

Thorn roared in anger when Galbatorix strangled his rider. He really wanted to rush to his rider side and kill that man. But he couldn't do much since Shruikan pinned him down to the ground.

Murtagh tried to get Galbatorix's hands off his neck, but the king was too strong. He felt himself start to lose consciousness. This might be his end. Galbatorix no longer had any use of him since he couldn't enslave Murtagh by using his true name or ancient language anymore. But when he thought he was about to faint, the king released him. Murtagh rolled his body and brought his hand to his neck as he coughed.

"Do you think I will let you die that easily, boy? NO. Death is too good for you!"

Galbatorix suddenly ripped Murtagh's clothes. Thorn struggled to get free from Shruikan, but Galbatorix cast a spell on him. Murtagh felt an immense amount of pain as he heard Thorn scream in agony. Galbatorix unbuckled his belt and put his pants down. Murtagh cried as the king thrust himself into his body.

Tears flew down the red dragon's eyes as he witnessed his rider being raped. Despite of his pain combined with his rider pain, Thorn somehow managed to free himself from Shruikan. He swiped Galbatorix with his tail. The king was thrown away from Murtagh and hit the wall.

"…_tagh…, Are you okay?"_ the dragon asked.

"Thorn! Behind you!!" Murtagh shouted in horror as he saw Shruikan was right behind Thorn's back.

Too late… The black dragon bit Thorn's neck. He and his dragon groaned in pain. Now, the red dragon was at Shruikan's mercy. Galbatorix, who had regained himself, picked up his sword and approached Thorn.

"Shall I tell you the thing that is worse than death?" Galbatorix smirked.

"NO!!" Murtagh screamed as Galbatorix brought the blade to Thorn's stomach and cut it open. The dragon's blood spurted everywhere, including to Murtagh's face.

Murtagh dragged himself to Thorn's side. With little energy he had left, he quickly put his hand on the wound and muttered a healing spell.

"_Stop that Murtagh… If you continue, you will die too…"_ Thorn said weakly.

"_No! I won't let you die!"_

"_If you die, I will die as well. It's better for me to die alone…"_

"_Thorn…, I can't bear to see you die... You are the only one left for me…"_

"_And I can't bear to see you die, either…"_

He knew Thorn was right, but he didn't want to be left alone by him. He had had enough being left by everyone.

"_In this case, you will only make my death become more painful."_

But Murtagh ignored him…

"…_tagh…, please…"_

Murtagh gritted his teeth. Finally, he withdrew his hand and hugged his dragon. Tears flooded both rider's and dragon's eyes.

"Don't leave me, Thorn."

"_You know I don't want to…"_

Thorn's consciousness started to slip away from him. Murtagh could feel that a part of him was dying.

He shook the red dragon slightly, "Thorn!"

"_Murtagh…, I want you to do me a favor…" _

"_What is it?"_

"_No matter what…, promise me…you will live…'til you find your happiness…"_ there was pain in his dragon voice.

Murtagh nodded. He swore that in ancient language to Thorn. The dragon smiled and breathed his last breath.

"THORN!!"

Then, everything went black.

End flashback

* * *

Later, he woke up in the cell that would be his home from that point. He was alive, but not truly living. He couldn't feel anything. He didn't even realize that Galbatorix had come and raped him again. All he could feel was the pain of losing his dragon.

He had thought about killing himself several times. However, he remembered his promise to Thorn and quickly erased that intention. He tried to keep himself alive, but that wasn't easy. For several weeks, he couldn't eat. He would vomit every time he tried. Galbatorix's urgals were being 'nice' to help him to keep his promise by force feeding him.

It took quite sometime for him to recover until he could eat by himself again, until he could finally feel again. Although he had not had much to feel except the pain from the torture and rape, which happened nearly daily. Time allowed him to heal, but he knew the scars would remain. And Galbatorix had never bothered to make another one before they healed completely.

* * *

Do you think Thorn is really dead? Tell me your opinion, please! Reviews are always loved.


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